“I don’t dare touch the bamboo basket, even though the smell of the dumplings inside makes my mouth water. […] I consider not eating the dumpling out of principle—who needs pity dumplings, anyway?”

“[…] ..her name was revealed on the bamboo chip… […] the name painted on the bamboo chip is mine.”

Sweet Rose-flavored Coconut Rice Balls

In a small pan, bring 1 cup of sushi rice + 1 cup of water + 1 cup of coconut milk + 1/8 tsp salt to a boil over high heat. Then reduce to low heat, cover, and cook until all the liquid is absorbed (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat. Add 3 tbsp of sugar + 1/2 tsp of rose water to the rice. Stir and let the rice cool down. Scoop about ½ tbsp of rice and make a ball, then roll in coconut flakes (1 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes). Serve warm.

Line 40 dumpling wrappers (3.5 inches in diameter each) on a work surface. Place ½ tbsp of shrimp mixture in the middle of each wrapper. Moisten the edge of wrapper with water and close wrapper to form a half moon. Then, press the edges together to seal the dumplings—you can also pleat the edges to provide a more secure seal (so dumplings won’t open).

Steam dumplings in a bamboo steamer for 10 minutes or boil. To boil, drop dumplings in boiling salted water and cook for 4 minutes once they reach the surface.